This is a place for any extant garments in private collections from about 1941 back. There is no beginning date. The only rule is that it can't be currently in a museum and must be before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I mostly post items I've seen on ebay, etsy, or other auction sites so we will continue to have a record of them for research purposes. If you have antique clothing in your collection, please, email me pictures of them and I will gladly add them to this site.

Pages

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Late 1860's Fancy Dress Bodice

In this auction we are offering a lovely silk bodice dating from the late 18th or early 19th century. This piece is of course entirely hand sewn. It is constructed from iridescent pink silk and is lined with in a coarse, off white linen. At a later date, probably around 1900, someone added hooks and eyes; you can see the marks made by the straight pins that were originally used for closure. I believe that the lace that is tacked onto the sleeves and collar was also added about this time; this could easily be removed to restore it to the original form if the new owner desired to do so. The condition of this garment is very good to excellent. The silk and the linen are both solid and flexible with no evidence of splitting. There are some light perspiration stains to the underarm areas but again, no splitting. A great piece for study or display, would look great in a shadow box. Measures as follows: Bust 20, Waist 22, Front Length 9 and Back Length 11.

PLEASE NOTE: This garment is over 200 years old and Absolutely NO attempt should ever be made to wear it no matter how sturdy it looks. Therefore, the measurements are provided for reference purposes only.

From Me:

So the first thing that gives away that this isn't late 18th C is that weird back bow thing. I have no idea what it is but it looks like a bow trying to act as late 18th C tails and failing. The second thing is the lace - very much mid to late 19th C in style. The biggest hint though is the machine stitching. Dead give away that you are dealing with something 1850's on. Yes, the shoulder strap construction looks 18th C and it *might* have been an 18th century bodice at some point but they did a number on it in the 1860's. I say 1860's only because of how short it is - it could be as late as 1910's for fancy dress. Either way, it's not 18th Century.